Following on from the recently successful sale of the Warwick and Kitty Brown Collection by Mossgreen-Webbs, the results of the Peter Jarvis and Helene Philips collection fell well short of expectations.
Peter Jarvis was heard to utter from the rear of the room ''…where are all the people…'' as he surveyed the 40 odd folk who had come to watch the sixty eight key works from their collection go under the hammer.
The sale got off to a moderate start with an early Louise Henderson watercolour painting of South Island subject matter Lac Craigieburn (Lot 1 ) selling just under the top end of the estimate of $6,000 for $5,750.
Two works, one by E. Mervyn Taylor Sleeping Woman (Lot 4 ) and the other by John Holmwood, Untitled (Houses) lot 5 sold just above their top end estimates for $3,000 and $5,000 respectively.
A fine portrait by Frederick Ellis of the young artist John Holmwood, Second Lieutenant John Holmwood, (Lot 10 ) attracted some of the most serious bidding of the evening selling for $5,900 against a presale estimate of $3,500.
A brace of super-size paintings by Dick Frizzell both failed to inspire bidders to come forward with bids, which is unusual, as Frizzell's works usually sell well, but perhaps the large size of these works deterred the average collector and both were passed in.
A small dark oil in classic Tony Fomison style entitled White Faced Lady #151 (Lot 23 ) sold for the $45,000 equal to the low estimate.
Another of the evening's few highlights was a fine Portrait of Trevor Moffitt (Lot 25 ) by Leo Bensemann attracting one bid of $50,000, which was the low estimate but a record price for the artist.
Key works by leading artists such as Bill Hammond, Rudi Gopas, Allan Maddox, Toss Woollaston, Ngaio Marsh and Emily Karaka failed to sell which was very disappointing for the Mossgreen-Webb's staff and the vendors who had high hopes of a positive outcome.
When a large key work by Don Peebles, Untitled Blue & Red, (Lot 54 ) failed to attract any bids the auctioneer Sophie Coupland told those remaining in the room that "the work would be worth money in years to come.'' It carried a very reasonable presale estimate of $10,000- $15,000.
But it was not all doom and gloom. A painting by Ralph Hotere, Sketch for a Mungo Painting (Lot 35 ) sold for $30,000 while The Beach (Lot 37 ) by Michael Smither sold for $29,000, while Bill Sutton's sensitive watercolour Hilltop Lane, Akaroa (Lot 41 ) went for $4,000 to a phone bidder. Steve Harris's acrylic on canvas painting, Mount Taranaki (Lot 60 ) for $8,500.
The auctioneers commented after the sale that with excellent sales across the high value works including the cover lot, Colin McCahon's Kaipara Flat – Written (Lot 24 ) and the record price achieved for the Leo Bensemann, the vendors were "extremely pleased with the overall result of the sale".
